A student argues that Eça de Queirós uses irony in Os Maias to criticise Lisbon society. Which evidence from the novel best supports the claim?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. The narrator mocks the shallow talk and the imitation of foreign fashions among the Lisbon elite
- Step 1: Irony in a realist novel works by showing a gap between what characters say or do and what the narrator suggests. Step 2. The mockery of shallow talk and borrowed fashions is exactly that kind of gap. Answer: The narrator mocks shallow conversation and borrowed fashions. Why not the others: Calm lyrical landscape, a nostalgic first-person narrator and dialogue in verse do not show social irony.
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